My Name is Max
by G Reader1
Summary: Max is cautious around vampires. She certainly doesn't hang around them for long. She doesn't want to risk the Volturi finding out she exists. So when her oldest friends, the Cullens, ask for her to stand with them against the Volturi, she reluctantly agrees, not knowing that she'll reunite with someone she once lost, and find her mate in the one person she's afraid of most.
1. Prologue

**I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA**

_**Before**_

Maxine opens her eyes, seemingly for the first time, on whichever day on whatever month in nineteen forty-three feeling strange. She doesn't know what is happening or where she is. One thing she does know is that she feels…better. Better than she has in years. She's used to feeling fatigued and hungry and sore, her back stinging with the wounds of a fresh whipping, or stomach cramping from lack of food.

But now she feels amazing. Strong and healthy, and for the first time in what feels like forever, she doesn't feel afraid. As soon as her eyes flutter open, she knows that she's different. How else can she explain how she can see colors that she didn't even know are real, and details that she wouldn't even be able to see on a picture: the ridges in the wooden ceiling, the dust particles in the air, the water stains that frame an old European map hanging on the wall. And how can else can she explain the strong scents in the air that she couldn't even describe. She thinks she can make out the earthy scent of dirt and the toxic smell of paint. And roses. She can't remember the last time she's smelled a rose. They were her mother's favorite flower, and on rare occasions her father would be able to bring one home to his wife as a surprise.

Max can't tell how long it's been since she's opened her eyes. She's lost all sense of time and doesn't even know what day it is, and barely remembers the year. But she knows she must have been asleep for a while. The dryness in her throat attests to that. It's dry as a desert, as her father used to say. She tries to swallow, hoping that her saliva could sate her thirst until she had a chance to do so properly, but it only makes it worse. Now that she's acknowledged her thirst, it's all she can focus on.

"You're up," a woman's voice rings out from close by. The voice is as smooth as butter, and Max can imagine that voice being on a radio show or singing a lullaby.

Max shoots up from her position, and in less than a second, she's crouched by a wall, her whole body tensed for a fight. The woman who stands in front of her is extraordinarily beautiful. Smooth, pale white skin. Long red hair and hangs in corkscrews around her shoulders, and perfect facial features that she has never seen on anybody before. Nobody she's ever met has been this perfect. Sure, there was Veronika Kunis, her old next door neighbor, who had thick black hair and wide brown eyes and dimples that showed every time she smiled or laughed. She was the only one who came close.

But this woman, though she's undeniably beautiful, looks anything but friendly. Every cell in Max's body screams danger just at the sight of her; and Max surprises herself when a low hiss sounds from between her teeth. She had never done that before in her life. She's more confused than ever, and doesn't know where she is. She doesn't recognize the faded white walls and creaky wooden floors of the house. The women holds up her hands, a showing Max that she means no harm.

"It's okay," she reassures Max. "I'm not going to hurt you." Max doesn't fall for that. With everything she's seen the past few years, she has lost all trust towards other people. She's lost all of her faith, in God and humanity. The only person she trusts is herself.

"Who are you?" Max questions. Wait, what? Her voice sounds weird. It still sounds like her voice, but smoother somehow. She can't exactly put her finger on it. The woman smiles, her eyes warm and inviting.

"My name is Zuzanna, what is yours?" Max hesitates for a moment. She hasn't said or heard her name in years. It's almost foreign to her now, like it belongs to someone else.

"Maxine Krzywonos." She looks around, abandoning her defensive position to walk around and study the thing she was laying on a few seconds before. It's a wooden kitchen table that looks like it's worn down from use. And it's so small Max is surprised that she was able to lay down on it and now be uncomfortable.

"Do you remember what happened?" Zuzanna asks the girl in front of her. Max shakes her head and tries to remember. The last thing she remembers is eating that stale lump of bread and getting ready to be herded into the showers with the other women. She's not sure about anything else and she voices this to Zuzanna.

"I raided a concentration camp," Zuzanna explains. "When I got there, I found a gas chamber that was in use. You were in there, nearly dead." Max shakes her head, confused.

"You raided a concentration camp? How is that possible? How did you get past the Nazis?" She completely bypasses the information that she had almost died in a gas chamber. She just wants to know how this woman could do what nobody else has.

"But you were alive," Zuzanna continues, ignoring Max's questions. "You were clinging to life, a fighter. So I brought you back to my home, and I changed you into one of my kind." Max frowns, not entirely sure what to make of what just came out of the woman's mouth.

"What is your kind?" Max was thinking of something along the lines of she turned her into a German, which isn't possible, but that's the only thing she could come up with. She definitely doesn't expect what comes out of Zuzanna's mouth next.

"A vampire." The pain and dryness in Max's throat fades away as she seems to freeze up in surprise. A vampire? Vampires don't exist outside of fairytales meant to scare children into behaving. But it makes sense…sort of. If what Zuzanna said is correct, she was close to death, and she wouldn't have been able to survive and heal on her own. Plus, her senses are a thousand times better than she remembers. She can see every detail of every object she lays her eyes on. She can smell scents she didn't even know exists. She can taste the air around her. And the way that she flew off the table? It was too fast to be human.

"Vampire?" As much as it makes sense, Max can't seem to really accept that it's real. Zuzanna nods.

"I'll explain everything to you soon. But first, you need to hunt. You must be in pain from thirst." The pain in Max's throat returns as she is reminded about her thirst.

"Hunt? Hunt what?" Zuzanna smiles, and Max's fears are confirmed.

"Humans, of course. We drink human blood. If you don't do it soon, you'll lose control, and we don't need to bring the attention of the Volturi down on us." Max starts to ask what a Volturi is, but Zuzanna cuts her off. "Again, I'll explain after you hunt."

"But I don't want to kill humans. If I do, I'm no better than the people who sent me to the gas chamber." Zuzanna looks at Max for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. And although they needed to hunt soon, she allows herself to look over the newborn. She's a young girl, no older than twenty-five. Her smooth skin is pale white, while her lips are full and her nose is just the right size for her face. And her hair…when Zuzanna found her, Max had been bald. Having been shaved by the Nazis. But Zuzanna had the power to change the appearance of herself and others, and so she helped Max's hair grow out, knowing that the girl wouldn't want to spend the rest of eternity with no hair. Now the blonde locks brush over her shoulders. While Zuzanna made it so that her eyes were their natural shade of blue. Maxine Krzywonos is beautiful in every way.

"Trust me, darling," Zuzanna finally says. "You'll change your mind when you taste that first drop of blood." With that, Zuzanna grabs Max by her elbow, and the two of them fly out the front door and into Max's new life.

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? Please review!**

**~Gina**


	2. Chapter 1

**I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA**

**A/N: So this story will be taking place in 2012, the same year the last Twilight movie came out. I see Emily Rudd as Max.**

* * *

"You don't have to do this, you know that, right?" Lena reminds me as I carry her from the bathroom to her already made bed. She's been confined to her wheelchair ever since she broke a hip five years ago and never truly recovered from the surgery.

"Yes, I do," I tell her as I begin to towel dry her. My sister has always had trouble accepting help from other people. She's the kind of person who believes that the only way you can get things done right is to do them yourself. But it's not like she can do this by herself. "You're my baby sister, it's my job to take care of you." Lena rolls her eyes as I massage lotion on her legs and then help her into her undergarments.

"Technically you stopped aging sixty-nine years ago, so that'd make me older than you." Now it's my turn to roll my eyes.

"Okay. But I've been on this planet longer than you have, so I'm therefore responsible for you and your wellbeing." I put her in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then I force socks and shoes onto her feet as she huffs.

"I just don't like seeing you wasting your time on me when you could be doing something else." I snort loudly. She's known about what I am for the last sixty years, after that nearly ten year period when I was still learning to control my thirst. And she knows that what she just said is foolish.

"You know I'm literally not getting any older, Helena," I remind her, then I sigh as I pick her up again and transfer her to her wheelchair. I sit on the edge of her bed out of habit, and purse my lips. "I'm old, and yet I'm still young."

"If I remember correctly, your birthday's just a couple of days away. How old will you be this year, again? A thousand?" A smile tugs at her lips and I follow suit.

"I'll be ninety, smartass." I wheel her to her smallish kitchen and leaver her by the kitchen table while I make her something to eat. I only have another hour with her before the rest of the family gets here and I have to leave. Lena is the only person I've ever told about what I am. I contacted her a little less than ten years after I was changed. By then the war was over and Lena was free and in America, trying to move on from everything that had happened. She had gotten married to an American man and was pregnant with their first child.

I had to see her. I had lost everybody else to the war. My parents, my youngest sister, Safiya, and my older brother; as well as all my friends. I knew that the Volturi would kill me and her if they were to find out that I had told Lena, but I knew I could trust her to keep my secret. And she did.

And it wasn't hard to do it without rising suspicion. Illusion manipulation is one part of my "special vampire gift" as Lena likes to call it. There are many aspects to my gift, so much so that my friend Eleazar thinks that I could be one of the most powerful vampires. But I don't use many of them if I don't have to. I don't like to mess with people's minds, but I'd do it in a heartbeat to be able to spend time with my sister. For the first forty years I told everyone that Lena and I are just friends, and made the illusion that I was aging right along her. But after I reached the age of sixty I decided to kill myself off and present myself as my own niece. Now people see me as a forty year old hanging around someone old enough to be my grandmother technically.

I set down a bowl of oatmeal and a plate of peeled oranges in front of her, placing her coffee there as well a few minutes later. I sit down and watch as she eats, happy that she's not fighting me this time. She hasn't had much of an appetite lately.

I turn my attention away and look around. The place is full of stuff in the way only a little old lady can achieve. A small tv sits on the kitchen counter and it's also cluttered with fruit and papers and cooking supplies. Her fridge is covered with magnets and pictures and drawings. A cuckoo clock hangs on the wall and I can hear the pieces ticking and moving. And then I see a picture she hung up. It's a picture of our family, taken about six months before Germany invaded Poland. Lena was only thirteen then, but the similarities she shares with our mother are great. Lena, Safiya, and Mom were like identical triplets or something. They all had thick black hair and deep, dark eyes. While I'm a carbon copy of our Russian father: blonde hair and blue eyes. And my brother was a mix of the two. Black hair from Mom and blue eyes from Dad. The only things we have in common are our noses and smiles. Our dad used to tell us that we have his nose and our mother's smile.

"Do you miss eating human food?" Lena suddenly asks me. I look back at her and shrug.

"Sometimes I miss being able to eat mom's kalduny," I say. Kalduny is this Polish dumpling that my mother used to make on special occasions. They were my favorite when I was human. "But other than that, human food repulses me. Imagine if you were to try and drink blood. You'd be disgusted."

"I am. Did you…feed recently?" I smile at her trying to take an interest in the vampire part of my life. The part that disgusts her the most: my diet.

"Yes, I did. Last night. I got a bear and two deer." She scrunches up her face and I laugh. "Why ask if you're just gonna react like that every time? I don't mind keeping that part of my life to myself."

"I don't know, it just interests me. I can still remember you and I sitting next to each other eating breakfast when we were kids. And now you're a blood drinking vampire."

"I know. Sometimes I wish I wasn't," I admit. She takes my hand in hers, and shutters slightly at my ice cold skin.

"No. Don't ever say that. If you hadn't become a vampire, then I wouldn't have been able to see you again. You would be dead." She goes back to eating her oatmeal after that, sensing that I don't want to talk about my near death experience. And while I'm washing dishes, there's a knock at the front door.

I open the door, expecting to see one of Lena's kids or grandkids standing, waiting to get in. But it's not. Standing on the other side of the door is Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale. They're old friends of mine and come from a bigger coven. I don't wait for them to say anything, I just step outside and shut the door behind me, not wanting Lena to see them.

"What are you guys doing here? How did you find me?" I question them as soon as the door closes. Alice and Jasper share a look, and I can't tell what they're thinking.

"We need your help," Alice explains quickly as a car pulls up the driveway. "The whole family's in trouble." She hands me a folded up piece of paper that's small and stiff. Alice is usually vague, but nothing like this. Once, she called to tell me that she saw me getting into a confrontation with someone, and then hung up. The someone she was talking about was my old boss when he tried to grab my ass. I frown at the both of them. I see Lena's family getting out of their car and start walking up the driveway to where I'm standing with Alice and Jasper in the open garage.

"What is going on? What happened?" We're talking at a volume too low for human ears to hear.

"Please, Max," Jasper cuts in. "Just trust us. Go to that address and the whole family will be there. They'll explain everything. Please." I debate for an eighth of a second. I don't' want to put myself in the middle of some vampire emergency. If I do, then there's a chance the Volturi will be involved somehow. And my biggest fear is that they find out what I can do. Because if they do, they'll use Lena and her family against me to get me to join them. Or worse…they find out about Judith. But my friends need help. I can't just abandon them when they helped me so much all those years ago.

"Fine," I answer them just as the human's reach us.

"Hey, who are these people?" Lena's son, Mike, questions me.

"What people?" I ask, lacing some compulsion with my voice. Confused looks cross over Mike and his wife's faces. "Why don't you guys go inside. Lena is expecting to you. And tell her that I had to leave but that I'll call her later, okay?" Mike shoots me a smile.

"Sure thing! See ya later!" They head inside and I turn back to the vampires.

"I'll go, but I reserve the right to leave if I feel like it gets too dicey. Okay?" I stare them down, expecting them to argue about how I have to stay no matter what. But the argument never comes.

"That's fine," Alice reassures me. "I know what it's like to be wanted by Aro. It's dangerous to be someone that he wants on his side. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. So if you feel like you need to go, you can go." Fuck! I was right, the Volturi will be involved. But it's too late to back out now. And if I go to the address that Alice had written down and don't like what I see, then I can always leave before the Volturi even know that I was there.

I nod my head and take a deep breath, steadying myself. "Okay. I'll leave in an hour."

As I leave Alice and Jasper and head to the local school, I think about how I'm gonna explain this to my kid. She's going to constantly bring up the fact that I'm contradicting what I always say about staying away from the Volturi and other vampires so we don't get found out. I didn't even give birth to her yet she's somehow exactly like me.

I sign her out of school, and when she sees me, she automatically knows that something's wrong. I never sign her out of school. I nod my head in the direction of the school's front doors.

"C'mon," I tell her. "I'll explain everything on the way home."

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? Please review!**

**~Gina**


	3. Chapter 2

**I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA**

**A/N: I imagine Lilianna Kruk as Judith.**

* * *

Judith and I only stay in town for an hour longer. Just long enough for me to call in an extended vacation at my job—which they only allowed on such short notice because in the twenty years that I had been working there, I've never taken a sick day, I've never taken a vacation, and a lot of the times I work eighteen hour shifts—and for me to tell the school that Judith would be out of school for a while. Then we went back to our apartment and each packed a backpack full of things that we don't want to leave behind and I explain everything to Judith. In my bag, I pack only things that I can't live without: an extra set of clothes, my old copy of _"Of Mice and Men"_, a picture of my family, and my debt card which holds all of my life savings on it. Over the years I've made investments among other things and have acquired a good sum of money, on account of one of those investments being into a now extremely famous shopping center.

"You ready to go?" I ask the kid as I step into her room. Her bed sits against the big wall, facing her window seat, and her red and purple comforter is smoothed down and the edges are tucked tightly under the mattress in a way only housekeepers in hotels can achieve. In one corner, she has an egg shaped chair hanging from a chain in the ceiling that she spends most of her time in. The walls are lined with her artwork and she has several bookshelves lining the walls as well as a flat-screen tv hanging on the wall. Judith as kneeling by her bookbag, which is filled to the seams with shit I'm ninety-nine percent sure she doesn't need. "What the hell is all that?"

"I figure since I don't know when or if we'll be back, I should bring all my favorite books with me," she answers as she tries to close the zipper without breaking it. I raise an eyebrow.

"Ya know, we could always buy new books if it comes to it." She gives me a look, her blue eyes seeming to stare into my soul.

"Would you like it if I asked you to leave something behind because it couldn't fit into your bag?" I shrug and fold my arms over my chest.

"You would never need to because that would never happen."

"But—"

"You have five seconds to pick which books you're gonna leave here." I start counting as I watch her silently wish for my death for a moment before she takes five books out of the bag and zips it up.

"Now was that so hard?" She glowers at me as she makes her way out of the room. I swear she gets on my last nerve sometimes, but I'm hoping she'll get better with age.

After we lock up the front door, I reach out and stop Judith as she heads towards the car.

"We're not taking the car this time," I tell her. She raises her eyebrows at me. We haven't ran a long distance in a long time. But we're in New York and the address that Alice gave me is in Washington State. It'd be faster if we run.

* * *

I feel at peace as the wind whips through my hair, and as I breathe in a million scents at once as they pass me by. I haven't done this in a while, and I'd almost forgotten what it feels like.

"So who are these people that we're going to see?" the kid asks me as we take a break from running in Minnesota.

"The Cullens," I tell her. "I met them when I was only four months old to this life." She looks at me with curiosity.

"You've never told me about them. Why?" I shrug my shoulders.

"Because when I met them, I was in a very dark place. I was depressed and reckless. It was back when I still drank human blood…I didn't want you to think of me any differently." She snorts, her blue eyes filling with humor.

"I could never think of you any different, Mom. You're too nice and composed and self-controlled for me to think anything different. Yeah, you used to drink human blood, but you didn't know any different." I give her a small smile.

"Thanks." Sure, I'm not Judith's biological mother, but I've known her since she was born. I'm the only parental figure she knows. But it's still weird that someone calls me "Mom". I never thought I'd be a mom in the first place.

"Tell me about them." I smile as I remember my friends. I duck under a low hanging branch, and the squirrel that was resting there runs off as soon as I get too close.

"They also practice the vegetarian diet. They're actually the ones who introduced me to that way of life." I sigh and purse my lips. "The Olympic coven began with Carlisle Cullen. He was born in England in the sixteen hundreds, and was changed when he was in his twenties by a vampire that was living in the sewers near where he lived. And let me tell you, Jude, when you meet him? You'll automatically like him. He's kind and patient and so understanding. In a way, he had it a lot harder than most vampires."

"How's that?"

"When he woke up as a vampire, he was all alone. The vampire who created him didn't stick around to tell him what he was or teach him all the things he needed to know. He knew a lot, because back then a group of humans had gathered "evidence" of vampires and were hunting them, one of those humans being Carlisle's father. And when Carlisle had realized what he was, he was disgusted. He didn't want to be a monster, so he tried to kill himself. He jumped from great heights and tried to drown himself. When nothing else worked, he went and hid in a cave, and hoped to starve himself to death. And he eventually got so thirsty, that he attacked a herd of passing deer. And that's how he found that we can survive off of animal blood."

"Wow. Imagine being all alone like that…to have no one to keep you company." I smile.

"You forget that vampires aren't very social creatures. Plus our sense of time isn't the same as a human's. We don't mind being alone and ten years feels like two days to us because we don't age. We don't get older and so none of us really pays attention to time…at least I didn't until you came along." She smiles.

"It's weird, but I understand," she tells me. "Tell me more." I laugh and shake my head.

"The next person to join the Olympic coven was Edward. He was born in 1901 in Chicago, and when he was seventeen, the Spanish influenza hit. Him, his mother, and his father were all infected. His father died first, but Edward and his mother held on longer. And just before she died, Edward's mother asked Carlisle, who was their doctor at the time, to save Edward in a way that only he can." Judith's eyes widen.

"Do you think she knew?" I shrug.

"We'll never truly know. She died not long after, and then Carlisle changed Edward. And remember how some of us have powers? Like how I can create illusions and do compulsion and you can—"

"Yeah." She cuts me off before I can finish the sentence.

"Edward can read minds. So if there's anything you don't want him to know, try not to let it cross your mind." She snorts.

"That's easy. There's nothing to hide. I'm an open book."

"Except for…ya know." She nods.

"Then came Esme. She was born in the late eighteen hundreds. Carlisle changed her after she had thrown herself off a cliff in an attempt to take her own life after her baby died."

"Oh my god, that's morbid," she gets out. "I can't believe she survived jumping off a cliff. Do you think I'd survive jumping off a cliff?" I look at her, eyebrows raised.

"Is there something I should know?" I question. She bites her lip and looks away.

"No."

"Judith Christine…" I say, my voice warning her to tell me the truth.

"I was just wondering about what I could do, ya know? We've never tested anything out."

"That's because I don't want to risk it. Not while you're still young. We'll come back to this topic when you're older." She sighs.

"Fine. Can you at least finish telling me?" And I do, happy to change the topic.

"Rosalie's story is a little dark, and I'm not going to go into a lot of details. If she wants to tell you the rest someday, then she can. But she was born in New York in 1915. When she was eighteen, she was walking home from a friend's house at night when she was attacked by her fiancé and his friends. When they were done, they left her for dead, and that's how Carlisle found her. He brought her back and changed her." I close my eyes and say a silent prayer to the universe. A prayer that Judith never experiences something like that. "Out of the whole group, she's the one who detests this life the most. Mostly because she'll never be able to have children, which was something that she looked forward to greatly when she was human."

"Did you ever want kids when you were human?" I think that through. Try to remember how I felt, what I believed. I can't remember.

"Honestly, I don't remember. I was sixteen when Germany invaded Poland. Nineteen when I arrived at the concentration camp. I was more worried about books and my studies than boys and starting a family. But it wouldn't have mattered otherwise."

"Why not?" I shake my head, not wanting to give up what they did. The experiments that they put me through that I hadn't realized until years later. Even if I had survived the concentration camps as a human, I would have, in no way, been able to have biological children.

"It doesn't bother me, because now I have you. I know I'm not your mom by blood, but I love you as if I was." She gives a sincere smile.

"I know, Mom. I know." We walk in silence for a few moments. "Is there any more? Vampires, I mean?" And then I finish telling her about Emmett, Jasper and Alice.

"So you're saying Alice can see the future?" She sounds impressed. I smile and nod.

"Don't get too excited. What she sees isn't definite. It's always changing depending on people's choices. And if something were to happen, like someone were to change their plans at the absolute last second, Alice might not get a vision in time to do anything if need be."

"It's still badass." I roll my eyes at her, but decide to let it go.

"Okay, Jude. Let's start running again. I don't want to still be running next week." She sighs, but we both begin to run again, and I'm happy to have a break from talking.

* * *

We arrive in Forks a couple of days later, and Judith is over the traveling part of our trip. She just wants to settle in one place, and I regret not driving. At least if we were driving, I could just drive all the way through while she could just sit in the passenger seat and do whatever. But I also know that she would have complained about being cramped in the car for so long. Honestly I couldn't win in that situation.

I can already smell the scent of vampires. Dozens of them, and I had a heartbeat, it'd be pounding against my ribcage right now. I don't like being around so many vampires, especially with Judith. It means that I have to be on my guard at all times. But there's also another scent mixed in with the vampire scent. I frown as I sniff the air, and I'm automatically brought back to when I was twelve, when my dad, who I called Papa (in English anyway), brought back a stray dog he had found on his way home. It was a mangy thing, starving and wet and shivering from the pouring rain. We managed to get him fed and handed him to a neighbor that could take care of him, but our house smelled like wet dog for days after.

But why would I be smelling wet dog this strongly? I've smelled the scent since I've become a vampire, but it's never been this strong. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Stay close to me," I tell Judith, and position her so that she's practically walking on top of me.

"Why? What's going on?" As soon as those words leave her mouth, I hear it. Growling coming from behind us. Directly behind us. I look back to see several horse sized wolves growling, hunched to attack, and their eyes focused on us. Holy shit! What the hell are those things? I've never encountered them before. But I do know that they're dangerous, and they're about to attack us. So I turn to Judith, and nod, knowing that she'll know what to do. We've gone over it. We break out into a run, the wolves following too close behind. And then the two of us climb up separate trees, knowing we'll be safe up there.

But they don't give up, it's like they know what we are and want to drive us away or something. I've never seen a dog this persistent. Judith and I jump from tree to tree, the dogs finally giving up a few miles from our destination, and a few dozen yards from where I know the house is, I stop, and hold Judith back from going any further.

"I want you to wait here, okay? Wait here until I can explain to them what you are. I don't want them to get the wrong idea and try to hurt you. So just stay here, and I will text you when I'm ready for you to come out." She looks like she wants to argue, but she decides against it, and nods.

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will. I love you." I continue to jump from tree to tree, and within a second, I can hear voices. They're talking about blocking and some other stuff that I don't pay attention to. I know when they've heard my presence when the talking stops.

"Someone's here," a female voice states. I don't recognize the voice, but she has an Irish accent.

"Who could it be? Everyone we've contacted is here already." That's Esme's voice, and I smile in anticipation of seeing her.

"Maybe Alice and Jasper sent them like they did us," a Romanian accent suggests.

"But who did we miss?" Rosalie questions.

"I know who," Edward finally cuts in. He can hear my thoughts, I'm sure of it. "I can't believe we didn't think of her in the first place." A second later, the other Cullens catch on.

"You mean—" At that exact moment, I jump from the last tree, and land in the back yard of my oldest friends. And when I straighten up, I look around, and in the sea of unfamiliar faces, I spot Esme, Edward, Carlisle, and Rosalie.

My face breaks out into a big smile at the sight of my friends, and I take in the others, too. Countless of other vampires stare back at me, curiosity on their faces, no doubt in reaction to my eyes. And when I look at Edward, I see him with his arm around a newborn brunette. His mate, I realize. My smile turns humorous as I remember all the times Edward swore that he didn't need a mate. And look at him now. I'm so gonna rub it in his face later.

"Max!" I turn to see Esme taking a step towards me. I can tell she's surprised and delighted to see me.

"Hey, guys," I say, my breath light and airy. "Long time no see."

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? Sorry for the lack of uploads these past few months. I recently got a full-time job and it's been taking a lot out of me, as I'm working a lot to save up for school. But I hope to get on a regular upload schedule of at least one chapter a month, if not more. Please review!**

**~Gina**


	4. Chapter 3

**I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA**

"Alice and Jasper sent you?" Carlisle asks me as he pulls me in for a hug. I squeeze him tightly and pull back.

"Yeah, her and Jasper tracked me down a few days ago and told me that you guys needed my help. They mentioned the Volturi," I say. I look around at everyone and see them staring at me. I spot a few people I had missed before: Kate, Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar. Where's Irina? I've never seen them separated before. They've been together since the day they were changed.

"It's a lot to explain," Edward chimes in. He turns to everyone who has gathered around us. "Everyone, this is Maxine Krzywonos. We met her back in 1943, when she was just four months old to this life."

"Why are her eyes like that? She's a vampire?" questions a tall woman with brown skin. She's the freakiest vampire I have ever seen, and I honestly don't want—I cut that thought off before I even think it. I know that Edward can hear my thoughts and I don't want to go there right now.

"The woman who turned me, her gift is the ability to change the appearance of herself and others. In order to help me blend in more with humans, she added a little color to my skin, and made it so that my eyes are the same color they were when I was human," I tell them. I hear footsteps headed my way, and before I can even turn my head, I'm swept up off my feet in a bear-like hug. I see strands of curly black hair and the scent of Axe body spray and smirk.

"How's my favorite European vampire?" I snort as Emmett sets me on my feet again.

"You don't even know which part of Europe I'm from." Emmett smiles, causing his dimples to show.

"You're still my favorite." I roll my eyes as I turn and hug Esme tightly.

"It's good to see you, sweetheart," she whispers in my ear. I pull back and give her a warm smile.

"You, too." I turn to the others, needing some answers. "So now that introductions have been made, can someone please tell me why Alice and Jasper practically begged me to come here?" Carlisle sighs and for a second I think he's about to start talking, but then he turns towards Edward. So, it's Edward who's cause all of this? What did he do that is causing the Volturi to step in?

"Nothing," Edward says, answering my thoughts. "Well…I guess that depends on how you look on it." He looks towards the brunette. "Max, I'd like for you to meet my wife, Bella. She was changed back in September." My eyebrows raise.

"Wow. That recently?" I shake my head. I've known Edward for a long time, and though I don't know him well, I do know that he'd never get married on a whim. He'd never marry someone just mere months after meeting them. And knowing him, he didn't fall in love with Bella the second he laid his eyes on her. The last time I saw him, he was too caught up in his moody bullshit that he didn't even pay Tanya the time of day she so clearly wanted.

"We met and married when she was still human," Edward clarifies. "Now, before we proceed, I need you to promise that you'll hear us out before you react." I furrow my eyebrows, confused. This is starting to worry me.

"I promise, Edward. I owe you guys that much. Just please tell me what's going on." He lets out a breath, and nods.

"Jacob can you bring Renesmee out, please?" he calls. What's a Renesmee? I look over to the back door of the house, which is made of glass, to see a tall indigenous man approaching. He smells like the wolves that had tried to chase us earlier, and he's holding hands with a little girl. At first, I think that she's some sort of immortal child, but then I catch her scent. A familiar scent.

She's small, even though she looks to be around three, I know that she can't be older than a few months. Her skin is pale, with a flush of red in her cheeks. Her hair is a curtain of bronze curls around her shoulders, and her brown eyes are wide and intelligent. I know exactly what she is. A hybrid, half-human and half-vampire. I—

"Mom!" Judith's voice rings out and sends a shiver down my spine. Everyone's attention is drawn from the little girl and I'm about to run into the woods when Judith breaks through the trees. She slams into me with the wolves hot on her heels. The pack comes to a halt when they see all the other vampires, but I don't care that they're not chasing her anymore. My mama bear instincts kick in and I snarl at them, my whole body tensed to fight.

"Max, stop!" Edward calls to me. But I don't pay him any attention. They're still a threat to Judith. "They're helping us with the Volturi. I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding."

"Tell that to them," I spit out. "They seem to be hunting my kid." Edward leaves Bella's side and comes to stand at my side.

"Look, they didn't know you were with us." He shoots the wolves a look. "They'll back off now." The wolves huff, and their offensive postures disappear. "They're werewolves. They protect this area from vampires, so they've agreed to help us stand against the Volturi."

"If they know what's good for them, they'll get out of my sight," I growl. I don't want them anywhere near Judith. I look over at them, and do something that I'm not proud of, but don't regret. "Leave." I lace my words with a little bit of compulsion. Not enough to totally control their minds, but enough to get them to leave without complaint. And as soon as the last of them leave, I drop my defensive position, and pull back to look at Judith.

"Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" She shakes her head. I sigh with relief as everyone around us seem to disappear, not literally, of course, but in my head. "What happened?"

"I didn't see them around, so I thought it was safe on the ground again. I was messing around with some rocks when they jumped out at me outta nowhere. I thought about…ya know. But I remember you said that I shouldn't use it as a weapon unless I needed to. And, if I'm being honest, I just froze up, ya know? I just thought that if I could get to you, then I'd be safe." She runs her fingers through her hair and then puts her hands on her hips.

"I just wanna go home already."

"I know, Jude. But they need our help. We'll go home as soon as we can," I promise.

"If I may cut in," Kate interrupts, "but who's this?" She gestures towards Judith and I sigh.

"Her scent is similar to Nessie's," Jacob cuts in. A few more people chime in with their thoughts before it goes silent and they all turn to me.

"Max," Carlisle begins, "is she…?" He trails off, but I know what he's asking. I guess it's now or never.

"About four years ago, I was visiting my home country when a young woman came up to me. She was beautiful with long brown hair and a face that was almost child-like. She told me that she knew what I was. That she met a man who was like me, and they had become intimate. I hadn't believed her, of course. I hadn't thought it was possible for a vampire to be able to resist the temptation of human blood long enough to have sexual relations, and when she told me that she was pregnant, I believed it even less. But I felt compelled to help her. Her overly religious parents had kicked her out for having premarital sex and she had nowhere to go. So, I put her up in a motel for a while. But I soon realized that she was telling the truth. Her pregnancy progressed at an alarming rate. And with each day that passed by, the fetus was unknowingly sucking her dry of her blood and nutrition. She could barely eat anything without getting sick. When things got worse, I took her to a friend of mine to finish the pregnancy. I didn't know what else to do. I had gone out hunting one day, and when I came back, the woman was lying in a pool of her own blood. Her stomach torn open. She was dead, of course. And sitting right beside her was a little baby." I look down at Judith, and she looks back at me. To this day she feels guilty for taking her mother's life. I can't lie to her and say that it wasn't her fault, but it was, even if she didn't know any better. Sometimes I want to suppress her memories so she doesn't remember it, but I could never invade her mind like that.

"My friend tried to kill Judith, however. Because of all the blood…it just set her off. And no matter what I can do, I can't get rid of bloodlust. It's just ingrained into our DNA, I guess. So, I had to kill my friend before she could kill Judith. After that, I quickly learned what Judith would need. She prefers blood, but there's some human food that she likes. I'm sure you guys know. I was deeply concerned about the rate at which she was growing at first. She was aging at an extremely fast rate, and I was afraid that she would grow old and die within fifteen years or so. But within the last year or so her growth has slowed down considerably. I think for every year that goes by she's aging about two years. I'm hoping that it'll stop or at least slow down to a normal human rate within the next few years, but all I can do right now is just wait."

"Why didn't you come to us for help?" Rosalie questions, looking hurt. "Why didn't you tell us?" I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Can you honestly tell me that, if you guys didn't already have Renesmee, that you'd be understanding and willing to listen to me before you reacted?" I'm met with silence. "And can you also tell me, that if it weren't for the Volturi knowing about Renesmee, which I assume they do because why else would you guys have brought every vampire you know here, that you would have told anybody, let alone me, about her?"

"Okay, good point," Emmett mutters. I sigh and put my hands on my hips.

"There's one more reason why I've been keeping her a secret." I take a deep breath and look at Judith. Then I look around and spot a small boulder a few yards away. "Jude." I give her a look and nod my head in the direction of the boulder. She seems to get my meaning, and nods. She looks nervous, and takes a few deep breaths, shaking her hands, as if to shake off the nervousness.

Then she focuses on the boulder, with everyone watching her. The whole back yard is silent, so silent that I can practically hear the gears inside of Judith's head working as she concentrates. It takes her a minute, because she's still working on moving heavy things, but soon, the boulder starts to shift. I can hear the dirt moving as the boulder is lifted. It hovers a few inches above the ground for a few seconds, and I hear a bunch of gasps and whispers of those around us, but I don't pay attention to what's being said. And then the boulder is lifted higher and higher, soon being suspended thirty feet in the air. I can hear Judith struggling, as she hasn't lifted something so heavy before. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Okay, Jude. It's okay, you can put it down now," I tell her. The rock slowly sinks to the ground, and as soon as it's settled, I hear Judith sigh with relief. And then we both turn to look at the others. "So," I break the silence, "as you can see, we're not exactly looking to draw attention to ourselves." Carlisle steps forward, his face full of wonder.

"If Aro were to find out that the both of you exist, and what you can do—"

"We'd both have big red targets drawn on our chests."

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? So, I was thinking about starting a Twitter for this account. I've grown tired of having to post a chapter on a story if I need to explain something, and thought that a Twitter account would be easier. If I were to start one, would you guys follow? I'd post upload schedules, if a story won't be uploaded for a while, as well as other stuff, and you guys could use it to communicate with me about what you like/don't like. There's a poll on my profile, so go and vote. Please review!**

**~Gina**


	5. Chapter 4

**I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA**

"So fascinating!" Eleazar mutters as he stares at Judith in wonder. "A half-breed with that powerful a gift! I can't begin to imagine the things you'll be able to do when your gift is fully matured and you've had practice."

"I've been practicing with he ever since we realized what she could do. But that boulder is the biggest thing that she has been able to lift so far," I tell him. I sigh and shake my head. "But you understand, now, why I've kept her a secret."

"Of course," Esme nods. She puts a hand against her chest. "Aro has been trying to get Alice and Edward for years. I can't imagine what he'd do to have someone with telekinesis on his side. To have that kind of power…" She shakes her head.

"The both of you," Carlisle adds.

"What can Max do?" Bella questions.

"Max is very…special, I guess you could say," Eleazar begins. "She has the gift of brain manipulation." All over I see people freeze with surprise, even Edward, as I've never let on to what I can truly do.

"He's right," I tell them. "I have the ability to manipulate the brain and therefore, anything that the brain itself can control. Which means that I can manipulate your consciousness and your subconscious as well as bodily functions and your senses. Basically, anything your brain controls, I can control. I can manipulate the way you see things, what you do and don't see and hear and taste and feel and smell. I call it compulsion, but I can also control your body and your willingness to do things. And your memories. I can implant or take away memories." Everyone is dead silent for a moment while they think.

"Alice shouldn't have sent you here!" Esme says, her voice full of worry. "It's much too dangerous for the both of you."

"If Aro even suspects what either of you can do, no one you love will be safe. They'll use them against you," Eleazar confirms. "Do you have any living family?" he questions me.

"My sister is still alive in New York," I tell him. I shake my head. "But I'd make sure that neither him nor any of his guard get to her." As if she knew we were talking about her, my cell phone rings, and when I look at the caller ID, I sigh. I want to ignore the call and call her back later, but I talked to her just yesterday and told her that I would call when I could and to only call of it's important. Lena had promised, so I have to see what it is, otherwise I might regret it later. I look up at the other vampires.

"Excuse me for a minute." I answer the phone and press it to my ear. "Lena, what's the matter? What's going on?" And instead of saying that she had to go to the hospital or that someone broke into her house, she says the last thing I expect her to.

"Happy birthday!" She sounds cheerful and happy, something she hasn't been in a while. I freeze in surprise, then quickly count the days, and sure enough, it's December twenty-second. My birthday. But even though my sister brought it to my attention, that is the least of my concerns.

"Lena!" I breathe in slight annoyance. "You promised that you wouldn't call unless it was important!"

"This _is_ important! You only turn ninety once, you gotta celebrate!" I sigh, aware of everyone's eyes on my back. I know she means well, and I also know that after the war, birthdays became a big deal to her. It's not like we could have celebrated during those years. Another birthday passing by to her means another one not spent in the ground like so many others.

"Thank you, for the birthday wishes," I finally tell her. "It's nice to know someone still remembers, even if it's not myself." I don't like to think of my birthday too much because it just reminds me of my brother. We were twins, born ten minutes apart, him being first. When I was human I didn't like that we had shared our mother's uterus, as whenever people found out, they would always compare me to him. Noah is more outgoing. Noah is more laid-back. I expected you to be like Noah, are you not twins? So, I just called him my older brother to put some kind of distance between us. But right now I'd do anything to be able to see him and wish him a happy birthday.

"I'll call you later, okay? I'm in the middle of something very important, so please don't call me unless it's a real emergency, okay?" Lena grumbles and sighs.

"Okay, okay. You have my word. Be careful, Maxie." I smile.

"I will. I love you." I hang up the phone and turn back to the others to find them a staring at me. "Sorry about that. My sister doesn't have the best timing in the world. She's eighty-six now, so I think she gets bored."

"Your sister thinks that you're still alive?" Emmett says. I nod.

"Almost ten years after I was changed, I felt like I had a good handle on my thirst, and so I tracked her down. I know the Volturi would kill me and her if they found out she knows about vampires, but I had to have her in my life. If anything went wrong, I knew I could always erase her memories of me and what I've told her about our kind. But I never needed to, as she's always kept the secret."

"Do you know what the Volturi would do if they found out that you told her?" Edward exclaims. "They won't care that you could erase her memories. They would kill you just for doing it, to make sure you don't do it again. Or force you to join them. You were safer just allowing her to believe you were dead. Then at least the both of you would be safe. They nearly killed Bella and I because she found out. I had to promise them I'd turn her into a vampire for them to let us live." I roll my eyes, annoyed that he said that I should have just let my sister think that I was dead. I get his point. I do. But it's like he doesn't trust my judgement.

"Don't you think I thought about that? I did. But I couldn't go another day without seeing her. I wasn't changed into a vampire under the best of circumstances, just like anyone else, but unlike anyone else, I never had the comfort of knowing that none of my family suffered like I did. My sister and I were the only ones left, and I had to let her know that she wasn't alone. And if I have to go up against the Volturi because of that, I will. It's not the first time I've dealt with a group of individuals who believe they're gods and bring terror on to others."

"What do you mean?" Carlisle questions. I close my eyes, not believing that I'm about to say this. After all this time I'm admitting it to someone other than Judith.

"The woman who turned me into a vampire? Let's just say that she had found me near lifeless, laying on the floor of a gas chamber." And with that, I grab Judith's hand, and lead her away from the group of vampires. I'm not sure where I'm going, but I do know that I need some space before I face them again.

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? So I set up a Twitter account, if anyone wants to follow it. I'll just be posting stuff like who I see the characters as, and will tell you guys if I won't be able to post for a bit. Stuff like that. It's (at symbol)G_Reader1 (this site won't allow me to put the actual symbol for some reason). The profile picture on it is the book cover thing I use for my story "Forever & Always". Please review!**

**~Gina**


	6. Chapter 5: Before

**I DO NOT OWN THE TWILIGHT SAGA**

**Before**

Maxine took a deep, unnecessary breath as she looked down at her latest victim. This time it was an elderly woman who had obviously been homeless. Her salt and pepper hair was greasy and slightly matted, her clothes were dirty, and she reeked of alcohol. The first time Zuzanna took Maxine out hunting, she had told her to always look for these types of humans.

"It's always better to go after the ones who won't be missed," she had informed her. "That way the Volturi won't come down on us." Max shudders at the thought of the infamous Volturi. Supposedly they were a coven of older vampires who were kind of like royalty to the immortal species. They kept the peace and enforced the rules. There was only one rule that they enforced consistently: don't reveal yourself to the humans. No going out on a sunny day because of their sparkly skin, no staying in one place for too long so that humans don't notice that you're not aging. No excessive feeding or targeting high profile people. Nobody who's disappearance will cause the humans to take too much notice. And Max stuck to that. She always followed the rules.

But a feeling settled over her as she stared down at that woman. Like the heaviest weight in the world had been placed on her chest and made it hard for her to function. Her new enhanced strength had nothing on the weight that burdened her. Another human…dead…because of her. That woman will never get the chance to get back on her feet. She didn't look that old, probably no older than sixty. She could have still gotten a job and gotten back on her feet. Maybe meet someone and get married and spend the rest of her days with her true love. But now she'll never get the chance. An entire future had been wiped from existence. Despite it being impossible, Max felt sick. She knew that she shouldn't be feeling remorse. Most vampires saw humans as nothing but a blood bag. They didn't feel bad about killing them. They looked at humans like most humans looked chicken or beef.

But she couldn't help but feeling like a monster. No better than the Nazis who had taken her life. Most days she found that she didn't want to live this life anymore. She didn't want to be a monster. She didn't want to be a murderer. She wanted to be human again. To be able to eat human food. She would give anything to have one last taste of her mother's kalduny. She just wanted to die in general. To be with her family. She missed Noah more than anything. He was her other half. But he was gone. Just like her parents and baby sister. She only hoped that Helena survived through this.

Once she had disposed of the body, she walked back to the house she lived in with Zuzanna. She quietly wondered what her rabbi would say if he could see her now. He'd probably condemn her to hell for the things she's done. She had certainly seen him condemn people for far less. One time, Petra Kovacevic was caught nearly having sexual relations with Dmitry Nowak and they were practically shunned from the synagogue. But to be honest, Max wasn't really feeling very fond of religion at the moment. She held a great contempt for her maker and wasn't completely sure if he existed or not.

The whole way back to the house, Max couldn't shake away the image of the homeless woman. An overwhelming wave of guilt washed over her, and she knew that if it was possible, she'd be crying right now. She's tried to talk to Zuzanna about it, but every time she did, Zuzanna would brush it off. She'd say that Max was still young and that she'd get over it. But Max knew that she wouldn't. She'd only been a part of this life for three months, and yet she knew that she couldn't do it anymore. She was still in Poland and looking around at all of the people going about their day when there were still people in the concentration camps made her feel sick. They pretended like nothing was wrong. She needed to distance herself from the country in which she was born. At least somewhere else she could comfort herself in saying that the reason why they aren't doing anything is because they are on the other side of the world.

She would go and she would try to find her way. And if she couldn't find a way to live peacefully with the humans, then she'd go to the Volturi and beg them to kill her. She had spent so much time as a prisoner, she refused to be a prisoner to her own body. But she wasn't sure how she'd break the news to Zuzanna. Of course, Max was grateful to her for saving her life. And she didn't want to come off as ungrateful. But she knew that she needed to do this.

* * *

When she got back to house in which she first woke up as a vampire, Zuzanna was nowhere to be seen. The house was silent, and Max could tell by the smell of the air that Zuzanna hadn't been in the house all day. _This is good_, Max thought. _ I can use this time to practice what I'm going to say. Maybe I can keep from hurting her feelings._ She stood in front of a mirror like she used to do when she was thirteen and had a crush on Paul Zielinksi, and practiced what she'd say. She went over several possible ways to break the news, but in the end she knew that whatever she said, Zuzanna wouldn't take it too kindly. So, she resorted to reading her favorite book _Of Mice and Men_. It came out when she was fourteen and she'd been obsessed with it ever since.

It didn't take long for Zuzanna to return, smelling like the same gas that took Maxine's life. Max didn't breathe. She didn't want to smell even a whiff of that gas. The memories were still too fresh in her mind. Max laid the book down on the worn-out sofa on which she was sitting and watched as Zuzanna took her coat off. She knew that if she didn't say something now, she would never have the courage to do so.

Standing up, Max clasped her hands in front of her. "I'm leaving," she revealed to her friend. Zuzanna stopped in her tracks and looked at the younger vampire. Max could see the shock on her face. She was as still as a statue, but she couldn't tell what was going through her mind. Zuzanna's crimson eyes searched Max's bright blue ones, and the slight breeze coming from the open window caused her red curls to sway slightly.

"No," Zuzanna finally replied. Shock jolted through Maxine at that one little word. Zuzanna sounded like her mother. So final. Like she thought that saying it would change Max's mind.

"I beg your pardon. I don't believe I was asking your permission, Zuzanna. I was simply informing you." The redhead shook her head.

"You're not ready to be out on your own. You still have a long way to go when it comes to your self-control. I don't want you to slip up and have the Volturi come for you. You need to wait at least another year." Max shook her head.

"I can't take another year of this, Zuzanna. Of killing humans. Of being a monster. I miserable, Zuzanna. I hate what my life has turned in to. I need to find my own way."

"Do you think that you'll magically be able to stop drinking blood once you're on your own? It's a fact of this life. You need to accept that, Maxine." Max sighed and walked over to where her friend stood.

"I know that. But I need to figure out a way to come to terms with it," she said. There was no reason why Max had to tell Zuzanna what she actually planned if she couldn't figure out a way to stop drinking human blood. She'd never allow her to leave in that case. "And I need to get away from this place. It has so many bad memories. Everywhere I look I'm reminded of what I lost. I need to make a fresh start." Zuzanna looked at Max for a good long while. Max could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She knew that by bringing this up that she'd get Zuzanna to relent.

"Okay," the redhead finally agreed. "But I'll come with you. We can leave in the morning." This was the opposite of what Max wanted. She cared for Zuzanna, but she knew that she'd never be able to fully heal from her past if her friend came with her.

"No, Suzie. I need to go by myself. I need to cut all ties from my former life if I'm going to heal. And while I did not know you when I was human, you are a reminder of the day my human life ended." Max clasped her hands once again. "Perhaps, one day in the future I'll be able to come back to you, but I need to find my own way." Once again, Zuzanna looked at Max for a prolonged period of time. Max wasn't sure what she was thinking, but she could have never predicted what would come out of her mouth next.

"If you leave, I'll have to kill you, Maxine." It was Max's turn to be surprised. Had she herd the woman correctly? That sentence was like a punch to the face, and it stung far worse than the pain in the back of her throat.

"What do you mean? Why would you have to kill me?" Max was still trying to make sense of the words that had come out of her friend's mouth. Anger coursed through her. She had thought that she could trust Zuzanna. She had saved her life, after all. And okay, maybe she wasn't technically alive, but she was still living. She had always felt grateful towards the woman for that. But now she just saw it as a way that Zuzanna could manipulate her. Play on her gratitude and guilt her into staying. But now the woman was turning to threats? She had never thought it would come to this.

"Because if you go crazy and start killing humans in a blood thirsty rage, the Volturi will come after you. And when Aro looks into your mind he'll see that I was the one who created you and then they'll come after me for creating you and not keeping track of you. I can't allow you to go on your own until I'm absolutely sure you're not a danger to our secret." Max was fuming at that point. She finally saw Zuzanna for who she truly was. She never cared for Max. She just cared about herself. Perhaps she had gotten lonely and so that was why she had changed Maxine in the first place. And now that Max wanted to leave, she didn't want to let her go. Max knew that Zuzanna would keep making excuses as to why she needed to stay. Even a year from then she'd find a reason as to why Max needed to stay with her or be killed by her.

Struggling to keep ahold of her anger, Max strutted forward and got right in Zuzanna's face, their noses only centimeters apart.

"I will leave," Max began, her voice hard but almost hypnotizing. "I will leave, and you will not follow me. You will watch me as I pack my bags, and then stay here when I leave. You will not follow me and will forget that I exist the moment that I leave. I do not want to hurt you, Suzie, but I will if you make me. Do not forget who the strongest is out of the two of us." When Max pulled back, Zuzanna looked at her, and for a second, Max was slightly concerned. The older vampire looked like she was in a daze. Her eyes were glassed over almost, and it seemed as if she was not completely there. But her concern only lasted for a fraction of a second.

Max made her way to her room and grabbed the only thing that she genuinely wanted: the locket that been given to her by her parents for her birthday. The last birthday she would ever celebrate. Before the Nazis had taken her and her family away, Maxine had buried the locket near a tree in which she had engraved her initials. It took a month of convincing Zuzanna to be able to go back and retrieve it. Max opened the oval shaped locket and looked inspected it for a moment. One side was engraved with a saying in Polish. In English it translated to "My love is always yours." It's something that her parents would say to her and her siblings often. The other side held a small black and white photograph of her and her family. It's the only photograph she had of them. That locket was her most prized possession. She didn't need anything else at the moment. It would just drag her down, and she knew that she could always get new things if she wanted.

She secured the locket around her neck and walked through the house for the last time. Zuzanna was still frozen where Max had last left her. But Max couldn't bring herself to care. She just walked out of the front door and into her new life.

* * *

**A/N: What did you guys think? It's been a while, I know. I've just had literally no inspiration to write in a while, but I was just hit with motivation today. Please review!**

**~Gina**


End file.
